Clary and Jace-Parallel Universe
by EllisMai
Summary: Clary is tormented by 'hallucinations' of demons and blood pouring down her friend Jace's face. He tells her its just the rush of a high, but there's something odd about him. Then a mysterious character with golden hair arrives and Clary is instantly drawn. He claims he is actually Jace, but there can only be one, right? PLEASE READ THIS, I WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU LEFT ME A REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

"Don't just stand there, get in!" The girl laughed, her eyes bright with excitement.

Jace, or J as his friends called him, took another draw of his last joint and breathed out the smoke in a perfect waterfall, the smoke filling his nose and surrounding his face causing him to look lost in a cloud of smoke. Clary always thought he looked like an angel, probably a fallen one though. He was good looking, with shoulder length blonde hair that was not too thick and not too thin, his features strong. There wasn't anything in particular about his looks that drew girls to him. It was the way he acted. Maybe it was his bad boy ego that screamed he was trouble, but he was worth it. He was trouble too, fight after fight with decent college boys who claimed J had slept with their girlfriends. He didn't win every fight; sometimes J would go to Clary black and bruised and she would clean his cuts. But it never bruised his ego, not once.

As J stood up, Clary tried not to stare at him. The outlines of his muscles were showing slightly through his white t-shirt. He was tall, very tall, and he was skinny yet muscular. To most girls, J was perfect.

'Definitely a fallen angel' Clary thought to herself.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Jonathon questioned her. For once, there was innocence in his eyes that told Clary he had no clue how she felt about him. Sometimes, Clary rarely knew herself.

Bringing herself back to reality, she tore her eyes away from J and instead, leaned close to him and took another draw from his joint. Ignoring his question, she chose to stare around her, looking anywhere but his eyes. They were at their favourite meeting place. 'Souls' lake was cut off from the rest of the world, always giving them the peace J liked. Dark green woods surrounded the lake and the sky always left the lake water looking a beautiful clear blue. There was small dock, where J and Clary always sat, at the middle left that gave them both a view of the whole lake.

"Clary? Are you listening to me?" J said, waving his hand in front of her face.

"What? Uh, yeah I was listening..." She paused, "What did you say again?"

J laughed, his head thrown back and his chest rising up.

"I said," he paused and smiled, "you asked me to get in the lake and you're not even in yet."

"Oh right. Yeah…I guess I'll get in. Are you coming in?"

J nodded. He took the last draw of his joint and for a moment Clary saw his eyes roll back and his face go distant. It was gone as quickly as it came. He stood up and stretched his arms out as he yawned. Clary noticed how quick he always was and how his muscles stretched as moved. J lifted his arms gracefully then reached out and took off his shirt. As Clary predicted, he stomach was just as toned as his arms.

"Come on then!" J laughed then ran off the jock and threw himself into the lake.

Clary laughed too, and then threw herself into the water to join him. The water surrounded her and like usual when she swam suddenly she was complete. After a couple of hours of splashing and laughing, Clary climbed onto the old dock and simply sat there staring at J as he stayed in the crystal clear water. The lake water rippled around him and once again he reminded Hollie of a fallen angel.

"Clary, why the hell did you wear clothes swimming?! What are you supposed to wear now?" Jace asked as if suddenly realising for the first time that she was wearing them.

"I-" She stopped and blushed, "What else am I supposed to wear?"

"Oh come on Cee it's just me, come in your bra and knickers for all I care."

Clary blushed again, "No -I couldn't-I just-."

She tried to shrug it off, but failed to cover her embarrassment of her own body. Instead, she forced a laugh. J, noticing she was started to close him off, changed the conversation.

"Anyway, how's college?" His attempt to make her feel better only made her worse.

"J it's horrible! Urgh I can't stand Mr Sheeran, all he bloody does it stare at my tits! It's like I don't even exist shoulder up, I-"

Clary's words were cut short as she gasped at the new scene in front of her.

"Clary? What's wrong?! What is it?!" J pleaded, an urgency in is voice.

The lake water turned a bloody red. One by one, bodies came floating to the lake's surface, surrounding J like a swarm of wasps. The rotting corpses left a stench in the air that caused Hollie to turn even dizzier. Her head was throbbing with pain and every time she turned her face in horror, her head started spinning. The woods around her became nothing but a dark mist, consuming her. Grasping to hold onto something for support, Clary's arm grabbed the first thing she could grip; J's arm. Relief shot through Hollie at the touch of J, he always gave her the feeling of safety and security. Turning to face him, she gasped again. Blood streamed down his face, from his eyes, nose, ears and his mouth. His hair was covered with a thick layer of ash and he reeked of burning.

"Clary, what is it, tell me!" he was shouting at her now.

Suddenly there was a piercing scream, echoing through the words. When the scream ended, another began. As J violently shook Clary by the shoulders, she realised the screams belonged to her. Tears were streaming down her face like the bloody ones on J.

Then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

"Clary? Clary, can you hear me?" Jace's voice was urgent in the background but a loud bell in Clary's ears made his voice sound somehow quiet as if he was in a faraway distance, miles away from Clary.

She tried to sit up but a new pounding in her head began and she would have collapsed if it wasn't for Jace's hands, holding her up and pushing her into a sitting position so easy and effort free looking as if she weighed almost nothing. Staring around her, all Clary could make out were the blurred images of her surroundings slowly getting clearer. She was in his room she realised, and Jace was sat at the end of the bed leaning towards her with a look of worry spread across his face.

"Are you okay Clary?" His voice was still urgent and thick with worry, and he didn't pause for a breath. "I'm so sorry Clary it was all my fault, I shouldn't have let you take so many draws from the joint!"

Suddenly Jace was standing up and pacing the room with quick impatient steps. With a crash Jace threw the contents of his desk across the floor, letting out a shout. With moves that were almost too quick to be human, Jace was throwing everything in his room across the other direction.

"Fucks sake Clary, why?! Why couldn't I just say no to you, for fucks sake! I always do this, screw everything up!" With those words, Jace collapsed onto his knees on the floor. His face was buried in his hands as his back heaved as he sobbed silently. Clary was astonished. Jace, beautiful strong Jace never cried. He didn't cry when his mum died the year before, or after the roughest of the fights. Yet here he was, silently sobbing. His golden hair gleamed under the lamp's light, casting a shadow that almost looked like a halo over his head. There was something about him right then, Clary thought that were so angel-like it was nearly unbearable to look at. Part of Clary wanted to go to him, hold him tight and tell him she was fine. But that would be a lie. The truth was Clary wasn't fine. Her mind was screaming at her to get out of his house and away from him. The agonizing pounding was still there in her head but it was getting louder and louder.

"Jace?" Clary's voice came out harsher than she intended, and she tried to calm down again.

"Jace, listen to me. It wasn't your fault, do you hear me? I know I was high and that but there was something else too! I know this sounds crazy and believe me I think it's weird too, but I need you to believe me. I need you." The last three words were barely a whisper and yet Jace somehow managed to hear them and his head snapped up so quickly it was as if it wasn't possible.

'That's crazy', Clary thought, 'of course it's possible.'

Yet she couldn't keep the nagging voice inside her head away and worry spread over her like a wave washing over entire cities at a time. Jace's face, usually relaxed and calm, suddenly tensed and turn hard, giving away no emotions.

"That's ridiculous," he spat, "of course it was the joint Clary. What else is it going to be?"

"I don't know!" She snapped back.

"Come on Clarrissa! You can't seriously believe that what you saw, demons and blood running down my face, was nothing to do with being high?"

Shock filled Clary's face and tears began to stream down her red cheeks. Seeing how serious she was, Jace carried on.

"You're crazy!"

"No," Clary murmured, realization dawning on her, "I'm not."

Her voice stopped being so quiet and she began to speak clearly, her face held high. "I know I'm not crazy Jace. You are." She laughed. "You see, I never mentioned seeing demons or the blood dripping down your face! So how did you know that that's what I saw?"

Jace was silent, lost for words. He stood up off the floor slowly. Jace looked at Clary then, and she was passion in his eyes. But it was surrounded by worry and shame.

"You're crazy Clary, crazy." He spoke in a harsh whisper, before leaving Clary in his room lost for words, shutting his door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

'_I'm not crazy, I know I'm not.' _Clary told herself, yet she somehow couldn't push the nagging feeling at the back of her mind away, telling her she was. "I'm not crazy." She spoke aloud this time, her voice mirroring the thoughts in her head. "Jesus fucking Christ Clary, you are talking to yourself now, maybe you are crazy after all…" Her voice trailed away quietly until she gave out a fake laugh, as if to reassure herself that she wasn't.

Clary, not even seventeen, was just an ordinary human being. There was nothing special about her; she was just like every other boring human on the planet. Even her looks weren't particularly unusual or special. She had dark red hair that set thickly below her shoulders, in waves that curved around her face, causing her features to blend in. Her eyes were as plain as the clothes she always wore. '_God, no wonder Jace doesn't fancy you, get a grip.' _

Clary stared at herself in the mirror. She never thought of herself as pretty, but always as the small girl the every boy looks past, to the more attractive girls around her. Next to her full sized mirror sat her bedside cabinet with a photo of her and Jace set out on. Picking it up, she studied Jace more closely. _'That's funny,' _She frowned, _'His eyes look so empty here.'_

His hair, usually golden, was brown at the roots. Jace had always sworn his hair colour was natural, but looking at the photo, Clary wasn't so sure. Suddenly the phone rang, distracting her from her thoughts.

"Yeah?" She answered, her voice came out sharper than she intended. Covering it with a cough, she tried again, more softly now. "Hello?"

"It's me."

"Jace, what is it? It's two in the morning and I have had no sleep so make it quick." Clary told herself that she was being a bitch to him for no reason, and made a mental reminder to slap herself later.

"I wanted to talk to you about the other day. I'm sorry okay? You mentioned the whole seeing demons and blood on face thing to me, how else would I of known? I'm not a physic..."

Clary didn't answer then, she knew she never mentioned it at all.

"Anyway," Jace carried on, his voice rushed, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for flipping out on you in my room. Can you come over?"

She was going to refuse straight away, but she could hear the pleading in his voice and agreed. Ten minutes later and then were in his room. There was awkwardness in the air, hanging between them like a dark cloud.

"Clary, we need to talk."

"Sure, what is it?"

"I love you."

The three words were said so quickly Clary almost thought she'd imagined them. She could feel her mouth drop open like a fish and knew how ridiculous she looked.

"Wh-what?!" Her voice stammered. Jace's still empty eyes bore into hers, as if looking into her soul.

"When you fainted, I thought you were dead Clary. And I realized that I couldn't loose you, I love you."

Suddenly he was walking quickly towards her and without waiting for a reply, with moves just as quick as his walk, his lips were on hers. It was a demanding kiss but Clary still loved it. Shock ran through her but it was quickly replaced by a feeling of a desire that matched his. His mouth open hers and she could taste him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands where all over her body, tracing down the sides of her hips. Laying her down, his hand began to stroke up her leg. His hand slipped up her dress and started to slip up further still.

'_Stop!' _Her mind suddenly screamed at her. _'This isn't right! Something is weird about Jace, and you know it Clary!' _

His hand was already tracing her underwear with his fingers, and Clary knew he was close to taking them of. With the realisation of this, her eyes flew open, only the find out that his were too.

'_He never had his eyes closed Clary'_

Her hands threw him off her and as he fell on the floor she bolted towards the door. But somehow he was there before she was, blocking her way. _'Fuck, he's quick.' _

"Let me go Jace.' Her voice trembled, but there was stubbornness to it as well.

Jace stepped to the side, and she threw to door open and ran outside, refusing to look back at his smirking face.

With yet another realisation Clary knew why she always felt nervous around him. It wasn't her being 'in love' with him like she presumed it might be but it was her gut warning her. 'Stay away from him' it seemed to of tell her, but she never listened until now.

'_Well you better start listening to your gut now Clary'_ she told herself in her head.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

The memory of Jace and what they had nearly done in his room wouldn't leave Clary's mind. Images of his body pressed against hers and his hand sliding down her hips kept her awake all night. By half eight the next morning she was a reck. Staring at herself in the mirror she thought to herself. _'Well you look like crap._ She shook the thought away and headed downstairs, where her mum Jocelyn and Jocelyn's friend Luke was dancing around the kitchen singing along to one of The Queen's old songs. The smell of bacon cooking filled Clary's nose and made her stomach groan with hunger. Yet as soon as Jocelyn noticed Clary hovering in the entrance, the dancing and laughing stopped and her face was filled with worry.

"Clary what's wrong? You look like death." Her voice was smooth and kind.

"Nothing, I'm just tired that's all." Unlike her mother, Clary's words came out nervous and rushed. All she could think about was Jace, and not in the best way either. _'He's so different lately. There is something wrong with him; otherwise he wouldn't have kissed me.' _As sad as it was, Clary was the first to admit that she meant very little to Jace. As if hearing her thoughts, Jocelyn's head snapped up and then at Luke, who looked shocked. Realising that Clary had noticed her sudden movement, she tried to focus on the bacon she was cooking, poking at it with the wooden spoon.

Clary's phone suddenly vibrated in her pyjama pocket. It was Jace, texting her; **Need to talk, meet me at the dock? J**_. 'Shit, no kisses'_ she thought to herself sadly.

Walking towards Jace, Clary was filled with a feeling of pain. This wasn't the Jace she remembered from when she was 7, running through a field with her and always making sure she was okay when she fell and started crying. No, this Jace was cold and heartless. Noticing the joint in his hand, Clary realised how much he had actually changed. _'He hasn't changed Clary, you just refused to see it happen slowly' _the little voice in her head nagged at her. Jace noticed Clary and stood up off the edge of the dock and walked towards her. Once he had reached her, he pulled her into a tight hug, his arms surrounding her. She noticed how even though his body was tightly pressed to hers; their bodies just didn't fit together. They were like two pieces of different jigsaw games.

"Hey." His voice came out quiet, barely just a murmur. Letting go of her, Clary stepped back and said Hi. Her voice once again trembled, and there was sick feeling in her stomach telling her to run. She pushed the idea away, thinking that it was stupid.

"I've missed you." He said, stepping towards her. She backed up, until her back was pressed against a tree and his body was against her front. His face was leaning in; Clary could feel his breath on her face and could smell his natural heavenly smell. His face leaned in even closer and his lips brushed hers softly. _'NO!' _Her conscious screamed at her and gut told her to get away quickly. Suddenly, as if she couldn't control her own body, she brought her knee up and let it slam in Jace's lower body. He crippled over, groaning in pain. Glancing up at her, he shouted;

"You little bitch!"

All so quickly he was running towards her with nothing but hatred and anger in his eyes. Then, a blur blocked Clary's vision of Jace. It was a boy, she realised, and an extremely strong one. The boy's body slammed into Jace's and took him to the ground with a loud thud.

"What the fu- " Jace's shouts were silenced as the mystery boy threw a punch straight into Jace's jaw. Clary could hear it crack and felt sick rising up from her throat.

Then the boy glanced up at her, and her breath was caught. He was beautiful, but it wasn't that that caused her to stare. It was his hair, a natural golden, impossibly similar to Jace's.

'_What the hell?'_

It was the last thing Clary thought before she fainted.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Clary woke up and pain shot through her body, her head pounding and heart beating quickly like a drum. Sweat stuck her hair to her forehead and clung to the back of her neck. The house was silent, except for the occasion car driving by and the tick tocking of the clock on her wall. It was three in the morning. Clary's memory was blurred and her head ached every time she tried to think hard.

'_What happened last night? How did I get home?' _So many questions ran through her head and she tried to concentrate on yesterday's events. _'Jace texted me. Um, we met up at the dock. He told me loved me.' _With the memory of his lips on hers again and the three words she never expected to hear from Jace, her breath caught in her lungs and her cheeks reddened.

"Then what?! Shit…I can't remember." She shouted aloud this time, leaving in echo in an otherwise empty house. _'Fuck, fuck, fuck! I know, I'll ask Jace.' _All of a sudden her own mind was arguing against her, telling her he would think she was crazy if she did.

"What are you supposed to say Clary? 'Oh hey there Jace, remember yesterday when you told me you loved me then we kissed? What happened after that?' Oh sure, that'll go down well with him, way to hurt his ego." She paused for breath then carried on. "And now Clary darling, you are talking to yourself. Hmm, maybe I am crazy after all."

Her phone vibrated with a call. "Speak of the devil." Clary murmured under her breath. It was Jace.

"Hey?" she spoke quickly.

"Hello Clarissa." Jace's voice on the other end sounded cold and sent shivers down Clary's spine. "Clary, about yesterday…" His voice trailed away.

"Oh..uh..yeah?" Clary barely managed to splutter the words out.

"Where is he?" Jace's voice came out cold still, yet somehow demanding but wary as if he was expecting a certain answer from her. Confusion filled Clary's head.

"Who?"

"Don't play stupid. Now tell me Clarissa and I won't have to hurt her."

"I have no fucking idea who you are talking about J. Hurt who?!" She demanded him. From the line came a dark chuckle. Clary could picture him in her mind, laughing at her through the phone.

"I never missed her you know? Then again, I grew used to it after seventeen _fucking _years, NOW TELL ME WHERE THE BOY IS OR I WILL RIP HER FUCKING THROAT OUT!" Jace was shouted at her through the phone now, his voice full of an anger and hatred that Clary was beginning to get used to hearing. Then Jace's voice suddenly changed, getting calmer. He was taunting her now. "How much do you love your mother Clary?" He laughed again, this time louder.

Clary could feel her blood turn cold and the phone dropped out her hands. Another chill went down her spine and she threw her bedroom door open and ran into Jocelyn's room. Nobody there. The whole house was empty, she soon found out, after running through every room, screaming her mother's and Luke's names. Standing in the living room, tears began to pour down her face.

Then the front door was open and a boy with golden hair was standing in its place. _'Jace?' _Clary barely had the thought when she realised it wasn't. Memories rushed back to her and flooded her mind. Jace kissing her. Herself, kicking him off her. Jace swearing at her and charging at her like she was nothing but a scrap of meat. Then, the golden haired boy, appearing out of nowhere and taking Jace out, causing him to pass out. She must have passed as well, she realised, and he took her home. This boy was beautiful, better looking than Jace even. _'Jesus they look alike.' _She thought, careful not to say it out loud. They both had strong features, and shoulder length golden hair. This boy's was more natural though, Clary realised, it had never been dyed. He was also less muscular than Jace, but clearly had strong biceps. Like Jace, the outline of a six-pack was showing through his t-shirt. Clary's breath caught as she stared at the boy with the golden hair. She felt as if he was pulling her towards him, there was just something so angel-like about him. Her thoughts were suddenly back on the day she thought the same about Jace, before he changed.

'_He didn't change a couple of days ago Clary,' _her mind told her_, 'he changed a long time ago, and you just refused to see it.'_

"Hello Clary." The boy said.

"Who are you?" Clary whispered. Fear shock through her and her bottom lip quivered.

"I'm here to save the day." He smirked at her cheekily.

"I didn't ask you why you are here." Suddenly Clary found her voice and held her head up higher, meeting his clear blue eyes. "Who the fuck are you?"

The boy with the golden hair laughed loudly at her, yet his eyes never left hers. There was something about them, so innocent to start with but when she looked into them deeper, she saw a danger in them.

"Well, Clary darling. I'm Jace. Pleased to meet you."


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Clary felt her heart miss a beat, and all of a sudden her head went dizzy. The room around her spun and ever thing was blurred. She tried to take a step back to balance herself, and instead tripped on her own feet. Her small body came crashing down over her legs but before she could even get close to hitting the ground, the boy was holding her up, steadying her.

"Wh—what did you say?" her whole body was trembling, and not just with fear. There was something about this boy that just screamed at her to kiss him. _'You don't even know him!' _her mind shouted. The boy, 'Jace' was still crouching down, holding her.

"Jonathon Lightwood. But you can call me Jace." He replied, his eyes bright with humour.

"Let go of me." Clary pushed him off her and stood up, balancing herself. Jonathon clearly hadn't expected her to do this as an expression of surprise was all over his gorgeous face, like a child's when they open a present they wasn't expecting. He stumbled slightly but quickly recovered. Jonathon smirked at her and let out a low chuckle.

"Wow, is that how you treat all of the men who save you? It's not everyday someone as sexy as me randomly appears and saves your life." He was smiling now, all of white teeth showing. They were all perfect, except a small chip on one of them. _'It kinda of suits him' _Clary thought.

"Tell me, are you always this rude? Or am I just an exception?" Her voice was thick with sarcasm.

Jonathon ignored her question. "We should go. Hodge will want to see you."

"Who's Hodge and I don't want to go anywhere with _you._" She snapped at him.

"That's your problem. You can come willingly or unwillingly."

Rage filled Clary and she could feel herself losing her temper. "Are you threatening to _kidnap _me?"

The boy laughed at her, but never denied her question. Clary narrowed her eyes at him, sending him a sharp look.

"Like I said, I'm not going anywhere with you." Although she didn't feel even close to confident, her voice came out strong and sure of herself.

Jonathon sighed. "Well I guess that's unwillingly then." He took a step towards Clary, his eyes never leaving her. Without warning, as if someone had taken control of her body, Clary rapidly picked up a vase and threw it at him. With reflexes just as quick, Jonathon caught it in one hand. However, it was enough to distract him and Clary pushed passed him and ran out the apartment door. She could her him calling after her the sound of his steps running. He was quick, but not quick enough. Clary was now in the busy streets, surrounding by people rushing around her or just casually walking.

"Help!" She shouted, and one man stopped and turned towards her. "He's trying to kidnap me! Please, you have to help me!" She pleaded him.

"Who?!" he replied, with a mask of confusion covering his face.

Clary turned. Jonathon was now stood in front of the apartment entrance, in clear vision. But the man was just looking right through him, as if he wasn't there. Clary was dizzy all over again and she felt ill, sick sliding its way up her throat.

"Him, there!" The man was still confused. "Right there, he's standing _right there._ He's fucking in front of you!" She screamed. Now, there was no confused in his eyes. Instead, he was looking at her as if she was crazy. He turned away from her and quickly rushed away, leaving her standing there with her mouth open in shock and in fear.

**Jonathon Lightwood's p.o.v:**

The girl was nothing like he thought she would be. She was beautiful without knowing it, a 'fiery redhead'. She wasn't like any other girl he had met before; she was so different, so unique and just so strange to him. Jonathon had girls falling at his feet for him all the time. He was gorgeous, but he knew it. The redhead though, Clary, wasn't like that. He knew she felt drawn to him, and with a shock he realised he had felt it towards her too. No girl had ever done this to him before.

'_Get a grip, she's nothing special.' _Jonathon told himself in his head, but he was lying at he knew it.

**NOTE: I OWN NOTHING. I USED TWO SPEECH TEXTS FROM THE FIRST BOOK 'CITY OF BONES' (page 47)**


	7. Chapter 7

Two days past by Clary in a blur, it was just images to her, as if she was dreaming. She could barely stop thinking about everything that had happened. She rarely ate either, her weight was dropping rapidly but she didn't even notice, or care. Clary thought back to the night she had met Jace number two and he left her there in the streets of Brooklyn, believing she was crazy. Jocelyn had come home shortly after, looking tired and pale. Clary had run up and practically threw herself onto her mother, tears streaming down her face like rain down a window. Her mother, looking shocked and then horrified, at her own daughter, just stood still with her arms draped by her sides. They had had an argument, Clary remembered, because Jocelyn didn't want Clary to leave the house for at least a week. Although Clary knew her mother was hiding something, that she was scared for her, she put up an argument and stormed out.

Now here she was, standing outside the Pandemonium Club in the pouring rain, soaking from head to toe. Cars rushed by and splashed water from the puddles all over her already wet body. Yet she didn't move. Clary just didn't care anymore. It was if all of her emotions had gone and her body had just given up and shut itself down, leaving her just an empty soul.

"Excuse me? Are you alright?" A voice, male, spoke to her.

"I...I don't know." She whispered, turning to face him. _'Wow, what a stereotype he is.' _Her mind told her

"I'm Simon." he said, holding his hand out to her. She just looked at him. Simon was such a geek, that much was obvious. His dark hair was short yet curly and he wore big glasses that somehow complimented his face. _'Not that he needs it or anything.' _The words were in her mind before she could stop them, she shook her head at herself. Simon was extremely good looking, in his own way. It was as if he was his own version of geek, and he was damn good at it. Bringing herself back to reality, Clary noticed she hadn't replied and had been, instead, just staring at him. She felt herself blushing, her cheeks warming up.

"Hi. I'm Clary."

"Are you okay? You look a little...wet."

It was if Simon's words had triggered something in her back alive. The reality of the past few days hit her, and so did her emotions. They were back. Clary's legs turned week and she collapsed to the ground, crying for the first time in two days. Simon was suddenly by her side, holding her as if they had been friends for years.

"Come on." He whispered in her ear, pulling her up. "I'll take you to this café I know. My friend Eric does poetry there. Well if that's what you would call poetry anyway." He laughed, his eyes bright. "This way, you'll warm up in there. And at least you will know another café to never go back to after hearing Eric's _poetry_. He'll be on in hour. Come on then."

* * *

Three hours later and Clary was sitting in a small café with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands, all dry and warm again, listening to Eric talking. After just ten minutes of listening to his 'poetry' she could barely contain her laughter. Now after a couple of hours of it, she was in stitches of it. _'Thank god he hasn't noticed.' _

Simon was an easy guy to get along with. He was the same age as her, and Clary felt happy and comfortable around him. He was smart and quick-witted, always making her laugh. _'He's a good guy._' Clary told herself, even though they had only known each other a few hours. After Eric had finished, they swapped numbers and promised to stay in touch, before they left, going there separate ways home.

Walking up the stairs to her apartment, a sick feeling began to crawl up Clary's stomach. Something was wrong. Turning her key in the lock, she stepped through. The house was quiet. _'To quiet.'_

Walking through to the kitchen Clary gasped. Jace number one stood there, smirking at her with a cold look in his eyes that was there to often.

"Hello again Clarissa. Miss me?"


	8. Chapter 8

"Jace, what are you doing here?" Clary demanded.

"Oh I think you know Clary dearest. I want you to tell me who _he_ and _where_ heis. While we're talking about this actually, tell me how you feel about him?" Jace was mocking her now. There was no humour in his eyes though, just hatred.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She replied, in the same flat tone he had used. Unexpectedly and swiftly, Jace slammed him body into hers, throwing her into a wall. He pressed himself against her roughly, and pain shot through her whole body. His sweaty hand crushed her face as her violently turned it to the side so that he could just whisper into her ear. "Tell me. Or I will kill you and your precious Jocelyn!"

With the mention of any harm on her mother, Clary snapped out of her daze and back to reality. Sliding her hand across the desktop of the kitchen cooker, her hand pressed against something cool against her hot fingers. A knife. As hard as could force herself to di, Clary stabbed the knife into Jace's left thigh. He swore loudly and let out a loud and rough shout, his eyes furious. As fast as she could make her legs go, she pushed him off her and ran, out of the door and towards Simon's house.

* * *

Clary soon discovered just how dorky Simon Lewis was. He stayed up late playing his Xbox, like any other guy. But there was also something unique about him. His hair was dark against his pale skin, like ebony next to ivory. His glasses gave the impression that he was smart, and he lived up to it too. He was always coming out with random quotes from books he had studied and from gory films he had watched. Something about him drew Clary towards him, but not in the way Jonathon had. There was no skipped heart beat when they met eye contact, or no butterflies in her stomach when they spoke. He wasn't always in her mind, never leaving, not like Jonathon was. _'What's happening to me?!' _Clary asked herself.

From the moment they had met though, Clary knew there was something strange about him. For a start, Simon actually seemed to like her. Clary had kept to herself her whole life, only opening up to Jace. People thought she was weird for that, and ignored her. But not Simon, he was arrogant, smart, good looking, and just friendly. They had only met two nights ago, but he was suddenly the closest thing to a best friend she had ever had. Even better than Jace, who had known her since she was learning to walk.

"Claaaaaaaary?" Simon's voice exaggerated her name. His voice wasn't a 'smooth' voice, but it was kind and friendly towards her.

"Huh?" She asked him, confusion all over her face.

"I said," He rolled his eyes at her, but he was just teasing her. "Did he take your mum then? I mean, I know your she's home and everything, so what was he talking about?"

Clary shrugged her shoulders at him. "I dunno. I asked if she was okay, blah blah blah, where had she been, that sort of thing. And she completely close off! She told me to stop bugging her then just left! I don't understand it though. Why would Jace say all that? Do you think he was bluffing?" Clary was biting her nails now, not caring that Jocelyn had warned her not to so many times.

"Hmmm," Simon's face was suddenly lost in thought, seriously thinking it over. Finally his face lit up and he spoke again. "I know! He was and he wasn't bluffing at the same time! In a way yes because she came home didn't she?. Yet on the other hand, you say she's been on edge recently and acting really strange."

"Yeah she has." Clary suddenly let out a loud groan of frustration. "Urghhh, why is life so shit right now?!"

"Language!" Simon laughed at her. She naturally felt to at peace around him. Not long after they had she found herself telling him everything. Although he thought she was crazy to start with, he understood eventually. He gave her advice on everything, and Clary felt like she could really trust him. But then again, Clary never was good a judging...


End file.
